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94502_Evaluator – Final Evaluation Disability Inclusion Project

home based with one mission to bonn

  • Organization: UNV - United Nations Volunteers
  • Location: home based with one mission to bonn
  • Grade: Consultancy - International Consultant - Internationally recruited Contractors Agreement
  • Occupational Groups:
    • Human Resources
    • Human Rights
    • Poverty Reduction
    • Monitoring and Evaluation
    • Project and Programme Management
    • Disability Rights
  • Closing Date: Closed

Background

Project name: Final evaluation UNV Disability Inclusion project

Background and Context

The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) Programme intends to hire an international consultant to evaluate the two-year project focusing on disability inclusion and the recruitment of persons with disabilities serving as UN Volunteers with the UN system. This project contributed to the design and piloting of the UNDP-UNV Talent Programme for Young Professionals with Disabilities.

Project Information  
Project Title UNV Talent and Capacity Development Programme for an Inclusive UN System for Persons with Disabilities 
Corporate outcome and output

Outcome 1: UN entities are more effective in delivery of their results by integrating high quality and well-supported UN Volunteers and volunteerism in their programmes.

  • Indicator 1.1: # of newly deployed UN Volunteers with disability, disaggregated by National and International UN Volunteers;
  • Indicator 1.2: # of UNDP Country Offices hosting UN Volunteers with disability;
  • Indicator 1.3: Fund for reasonable accommodation established and sustainable;

Outcome 2: The UN System is supported to deliver on the 2030 Agenda.

  • Indicator 2.1: # of conferences, outreach and promotion events aimed to mobilize UN Volunteers with disability in the UN system, and knowledge and best practices sharing through web-based resources and practical guidance materials;
  • Indicator 2.2: # of capacity development events, trainings and workshops to build expertise, skills and knowledge on inclusion and disability at UNV, UNDP, receiving offices and volunteers;
Indicator 2.3: # of partnerships with donors, and with disabled people’s organizations on inclusion of PWDs
Expected project outcome UN system is more inclusive and responsive to the needs of persons with disabilities.
Country International
Date project document signed 20 Dec 2017
Project dates 4 Dec 2017 – 30 June 2020 (original end date: 31 Dec 2019)
Project budget Total USD 590,000 (BMZ USD 540,000 and UNV USD 50,000)
Project expenditure at the time of evaluation

259,592.00 USD (15 December 2019) and 300.000 USD forecast for March 2020.

Funding source BMZ Germany, United Nations Volunteers (UNV) Programme
Implementing Agency United Nations Volunteers (UNV) Programme

The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) Programme contributes to peace and development through volunteerism worldwide. We work with partners to integrate qualified, highly motivated and well supported UN Volunteers into development programming and promote the value and global recognition of volunteerism. UNV is administered by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and reports to the UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS Executive Board.

UNV enjoys a unique global mandate to promote volunteerism for development and has done so since 1970. UNV works under a dual mandate – to mobilize volunteers for the United Nations system and to advocate for the importance of volunteerism in development worldwide.

The aim of the UNDP-UNV Talent Programme for Young Professionals with Disabilities, and more specifically the UNV Talent and Capacity Development Programme for an Inclusive UN System for Persons with Disabilities is to increase the inclusion of persons with disabilities into the workforce of the development sector. The Programme also aims to build a talent pipeline of highly qualified professionals with disabilities who can contribute to the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at national and global levels.

The Programme offers young persons with disabilities the opportunity to acquire practical work experience and exposure to the work of the UN Development System through UN Volunteer assignments with UNDP country, regional or headquarters offices.

In 2019, 13 UN Volunteers with disabilities served under the UNV Talent and Capacity Development Programme, 16 further UN Volunteers with disabilities served in regular assignments across agencies and 611 volunteers with disabilities served through UNV’s Online Volunteering modality.

Duties and Responsibilities

Purpose, Scope and Objectives

With the project coming to an end in December 2019 (due to no-cost extension in June 2020), the Evaluation is expected to clarify and document underlying factors affecting the project results and opportunities, to highlight unintended consequences (positive and negative), and to draw broad lessons learnt. While the evaluation is expected to draw conclusions on the Talent Programme’s results and experiences (summative), it also needs to be prospective (formative), hence also provide forward looking inputs that can be drawn from the Talent Programme in relation to disability inclusion within UNV and within the wider UN system (namely such organizations/ offices that participated in the Talent Programme). This aims at supporting UNV’s follow up actions on disability inclusion with UNV (as organization and volunteer programme) and its contribution to an inclusive UN in future.

The main objective of the consultancy service is to conduct an independent final evaluation and to prepare an evaluation report of the project activities carried out between December 2017 to date.

The specific objectives of the final evaluation are the following:

  • Review the performance of the UNDP-UNV Talent Programme for Young Professionals with Disabilities, and the UNV Talent and Capacity Development Programme for an Inclusive UN System for Persons with Disabilities, in achieving the outputs as per the Project Document and their contributions to outcome level goals by providing an objective assessment of the intervention’s results, achievements and constraints.
  • Generate lessons learnt to inform current and future corporate strategy and action on disability inclusion: Identify factors, which facilitated or hindered the results’ achievement, both in terms of external environment and those related to internal factors. This should include but not be limited to assessing the strengths and weaknesses in different implementation stages of the project, its design, institutional arrangements, management and coordination, corporate decisions and human resources.
  • Provide recommendations for inclusive volunteer mobilization and management for a follow-up project and for mainstreaming in UNV in general. 
  • Assess the functioning of the reasonable accommodation fund: Analyse the functionality of the current set up for covering the costs of reasonable accommodation requirements and needs of UN Volunteers with disabilities (What worked, what did not and why?). Provide recommendations on sustainable reasonable accommodation funding models, which could be applied in future

 

Evaluation criteria and key questions

Key criteria to be addressed by the evaluation are relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability of the project.

To reach the overall and the specific objectives of the evaluation, the following are some exemplary key questions to be addressed:

  • Relevance and Coherence:

Relevance: The extent to which the project objectives and design respond to the global UN system, country, partner/institution and PWD needs, policies, and priorities.

External coherence: The compatibility with other interventions in the area of disability inclusion by the host agency, receiving the volunteers with disabilities under the UNV Talent and Capacity Building Programme.

Internal coherence: The extent to which the objective and design of the project are suited to UNV’s strategic goals and priorities.

Questions:

Is the project doing the right things/ not the right things and why?

How coherent is the project with the UN Disability Inclusion Strategy and UN development agenda globally and in the programme countries, participating in the project and how does this affect the project (positively and negatively)?

To what extent can this project be easily adapted/replicated/ upscaled in similar areas/countries/regions and for other UN entities? What was done to make the project country/regional/ UN entity specific? Are the methods replicable?

Are the activities and outputs of the project consistent with the intended impact and effects?

What relevant lessons emerged from this project, which can inform future UNV projects or modalities?

To what extent has the project addressed further cross cutting (intersectional) issues such as gender or focussed on most excluded sub-groups of persons with disabilities?

 

  • Effectiveness:

The extent to which the project achieved, or is expected to achieve, its results (outcome contributions and outputs), among differentiated stakeholder groups.

Questions:

Has the project strategy been appropriate to reach the intended outputs and outcomes?

To what extent are the objectives of the project likely to be achieved? What indicators demonstrate that? What are the major factors influencing the achievement or non-achievement of the objectives?

To what extent has the project promoted positive changes towards the inclusion of persons with disabilities within the UN system? Were there any unintended effects?

What is the comparative advantage and added value of a PWD volunteering in a host UN entity in comparison to other personnel?

  • Efficiency:

The extent to which the intervention delivers, or is likely to deliver, results (outcome contributions and outputs) in the most cost-effective way possible, as compared to feasible alternatives in the context.

Questions:

What are the project’s response mechanisms and how did it adapt to unforeseen external and internal factors?

To what extent has there been an economical use of financial and human resources? Have resources (funds, human resources, time, expertise, etc.) been allocated strategically to achieve outcomes?

  • Sustainability:

The extent to which the net benefits of the intervention continue, or are likely to

continue. This includes, as relevant, an examination of the financial, economic, social, environmental, and institutional capacities of the systems needed to sustain net benefits over time.

Questions

In how far will the project benefits and solutions last?

Do past results and strategies represent enough foundation for future progress and success of the Talent Programme?

To what extent have the project measures contributed to have structures and processes in place that will help to implement disability inclusion within UNV and participating UN organizations in a sustainable way? Which improvements could be made in future?

What are the major factors that influence the sustainability of the project?

 

The results of this evaluation will help UNV as organization and Human Resources Section (HRS) as responsible section for the implementation of the Talent Programme to plan for future steps and to adjust current commitment to the lessons learnt. This will help both to deliver a higher quality inclusive work and strengthen the sustainable character of UNV’s inclusion efforts. Secondary audience will be host entities, gaining from lessons learnt and adjusted offers by UNV in future.

Methodology

It is suggested that the consultant applies a mix of qualitative and quantitative approaches. The following are elements of proposed data collection and analysis.

  • Desk review of relevant documents (project documents, annual reports, internal evaluation summary etc.)
  • Briefing in person with the Senior Management, Programme Unit (i.e. programme team in HRS), Executive Office, as well as individuals in External Relations and Communications Section, Volunteer Solutions Section and Volunteer Services Centre;
  • Remote/Online/personal discussions, interviews and surveys with the project team, project partners, representatives of involved stakeholders, Talent Programme volunteers, UNDP and UN host offices, and donors;
  • Remote/Online/personal debriefing sessions on findings and recommendations with the UNV Management Team and the UNV/UNDP Talent Programme Working Group.

The detailed design and evaluation matrix to link the evaluation criteria and questions with data collection methods and source data, shall be developed by the consultant during the inception phase.

Project Evaluation Deliverables and Timeline

No.

Expected outputs/key deliverables

Due date (in 2020)

Expected number of working days

1

Inception: Desk review; Briefing with the Project Team; Inception Report (10-15 pages), including methodology, workplan, evaluation matrix (see annex) as well as the survey design and a detailed interview plan etc.

16 March – 18 March

3 days

2

Data Collection (incl. a 1-day mission to UNV HQs in Bonn): final design of instruments (e.g. guidelines for interviews, online questionnaires etc.), Comprehensive assessment, survey, interviews and/or focus group consultations among key stakeholders conducted

19– 25 March

5 days

3

Draft Evaluation Report (20-25 pages including executive summary, excluding annexes): Results are analyzed; draft evaluation report is compiled, drafted and consolidated

26 March – 31 March

4 days

4

Consultation/ Verification:

Electronic peer review of draft evaluation report by Senior Management, Executive Office and Project Team conducted, issues/ comments log produced

1 April

1 day

5

Final Evaluation Report (30 to 40 pages including executive summary, excluding annexes): including comprehensive list of recommendations (for design of new programme and draft recommendations for way forward) by integrating all relevant comments of the electronical peer and programme board review.

2 – 6 April

2.5 days

6

Presentation of the Final Evaluation Report to Project Board, UNV/UNDP working group and UNV Management Team

4 - 5 April

1.5 day

* Start and following due dates depend on finalized recruitment of consultant.

The consultancy work is expected to be completed within two months from the date of contract signature. The consultant is required to prepare and submit the entire plan in a way that allows the achievements of all deliverables to be completed within two months.

The consultant is expected to work from home and have a one day trip to UNV Headquarters in Bonn in the frame of (2) data collection between 19 and 25 March. The exact dates of travel will be agreed with the consultant.

Evaluation Management

This evaluation is commissioned by the responsible UNV Programme Unit (i.e. programme team in HRS) which is part of the HR Section. UNV’s Executive Office will provide guidance and quality assurance throughout the evaluation process.

Based on the UNDP policy and guidelines for evaluation, the consultant will develop key evaluation questions and the final design and methodology of the evaluation in consultation with Programme Unit (programme team in HRS) and Executive Office.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

  • Integrity, professionalism and respect for diversity;

Functional Competencies:

  • Strong communication and interpersonal skills, demonstrated ability to build trust;
  • Excellent organizational, team-building and planning skills;
  • Demonstrated ability to work effective in team, delivering through and with others;

This evaluation will be conducted in accordance with the principles outlined in the UNEG ‘Ethical Guidelines for Evaluation’. The consultant must safeguard the rights and confidentiality of information providers, interviewees and stakeholders through measures to ensure compliance with legal and other relevant codes governing collection of data and reporting on data. The consultant must also ensure security of collected information before and after the evaluation and protocols to ensure anonymity and confidentiality of sources of information where that is expected. The information knowledge and data gathered in the evaluation process must also be solely used for the evaluation and not for other uses with the express authorization of UNV and partners.

Required Skills and Experience

.Academic Qualification:

  • Minimum of a master’s degree or equivalent in Management, Development Studies, International Affairs or any other relevant field;

Experience:

  • At least 8 years of work experience in evaluating programs related to international development, and/or volunteering;
  • Outstanding analytical and writing skills in English;
  • Experience corporate level projects evaluation and UNDP/UNV pro doc design is an advantage;
  • Knowledge of global approaches to disability inclusion is an advantage;
  • Familiarity or experience with the international voluntary sector is an advantage;

Language:

  • Fluency in written and spoken English is essential;
  • Knowledge of Spanish or Russian will be an advantage;

Criteria for Selection of the best offer:

The selection of the best offer will be based on the combined scoring method, where the qualifications and methodology will be weighted 70 percent, and then combined with the price offer, which will be weighted 30 percent.

Key selection criteria are:

  • Proposed approach and methodology (25%)
  • Proven experience in monitoring, reviews and evaluation related to volunteerism and/or disability inclusion (15%)
  • Proven meta-analysis skills for evaluative exercises (15%)
  • Excellent report writing skills i.e. at corporate level (15%)

Application procedure

Applicants have to provide a technical and financial proposal. 

The technical proposal shall consist of:

  • Motivation Letter describing their interest in the assignment and why they are the most suitable for the work;
  • Latest personal CV or P11, including past experience in similar projects and at least three references
  • A technical proposal (3-5 pages): shall describe the methodology and the approach on how to fulfil the required deliverables as well as outline the major components of its implementation;

The financial proposal shall consist of 

 

PLEASE NOTE THAT INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED FOR FURTHER EVALUATION 

Qualified women and members of social minorities are encouraged to apply. Due to the large number of applications we receive, we are only able to inform the successful candidates about the outcome or status of the selection process.

How to Submit the Application:

To submit your application online, please follow the steps below:

  • Merge your Cover Letter, CV, Technical Proposal and Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability (including the financial proposal) into a single file. The system does not allow for more than one attachment to be uploaded;
  • Click on the Job Title (job vacancy announcement);
  • Click “Apply Now” button, fill in necessary information on the first page, and then click “Submit Application;”
  • Upload your application/single file as indicated above with the merged documents (underlined above);
  • You will receive an automatic response to your email confirming receipt of your application by the system.

Queries should be sent to : procurement@unv.org,  att Madalina Florica clearly marking: 94502_ Evaluator – Final Evaluation Disability Inclusion Project

Applications sent by email will not be considered.

 

 

Annex: Sample Evaluation Matrix *

Relevant evaluation criteria

Key questions

Specific sub questions

Data sources

Data-collection methods/tools

Indicators/ success standard

Methods for data analysis

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* UNDP Evaluation Guidelines, Independent Evaluation Office of UNDP, New York, Jan 2019: p. 43.

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.
This vacancy is now closed.
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